


i'm coming on home tonight

by lco123



Series: Bye Bye Blackbird [4]
Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-06-09 23:35:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6928948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lco123/pseuds/lco123
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six times Ashley wanted to ask Ella a question, and one time she did.  (Ashley and Ella's story in the "Bye Bye Blackbird" universe)</p>
            </blockquote>





	i'm coming on home tonight

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a brief interlude to "where somebody shines the light" exploring Ella and Ashley. A little extra context before their wedding.

**1**

Hanna and Aria are eleven years old, awkward and sweet and starting to be so curious about the world. They want to go to a movie by themselves, and Ashley hems and haws before finally giving in, with the caveat that they have to call right after (on Hanna's phone, Aria doesn't have one yet). Tom doesn't seem to be bothered, but then again he's spending all weekend in the office so it barely registers for him. He spends most weekends in the office these days.

An hour in and Ashley thinks this is a terrible idea. She can just picture the lascivious look on the young ticket-taker's face as her precious daughter enters the theater. She's about to call Ella, to ask her why the hell they thought this was a good idea, when the doorbell rings. And speak of the devil, it's Ella, holding a bottle of red wine and looking concerned. "I figured we could use this," she says gravely, and it makes Ashley laugh for the first time all day.

 

**2**

Tom leaves her and Ashley doesn't know what to do. She was never the perfect house-wife but she could fake it well enough, could play the role when she had to. Things weren't exactly good--it didn't take much detective-work to discover he'd been cheating--but they looked good enough, and that's what matters in Rosewood.

Ashley hides from the other moms, not wanting to become "that one," the single one. Then Alison disappears and the Montgomerys go to Iceland and suddenly a year has passed. Hanna is thin and popular and unhappy, and Ashley is spending more and more time at the bar, but it's become the new normal. One day Ashley's in the supermarket and there's Ella Montgomery buying groceries.

"Hi Ashley," she says warmly. "It's so good to see you! How are Hanna and Tom?"

And it surprises Ashley, that Ella can somehow not know, but she tells her anyway, and Ella is sympathetic but doesn't seem surprised. Maybe she knew, like everyone else did apparently, what Tom was up to.

A few months later Ella moves out. Byron was cheating, before Iceland, but Ella's just now found out. Ashley wants to ask her if she understands now, how you can know and not know, how you can make yourself blind.

She doesn't do that. It seems cruel. She sends flowers instead.

 

**3**

Ashley meets Ted right around the time Ella meets Zack. The timing feels serendipitous, and in a moment of neighborliness Ashley invites Ella out to lunch. They talk about their daughters, their jobs, and finally, after two glasses of wine, their new relationships.

"He's just so young and cool," Ella bemoans. "I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up."

"You'll do fine," Ashley assures her. "You're cooler than you know. Now me and Pastor Ted...I don't know what he sees in me."

Ella frowns and covers Ashley's hand with her own. It feels nice. "Don't say that," Ella says. "He'd be crazy to not want you."

Ashley almost asks Ella how she knows that, when Ashley herself mostly just sees a mess when she looks in the mirror. But the waiter comes with the check, so she keeps to herself. Ella won't even let her look at the bill before paying for them both.

 

**4**

Zack turns out to be a grade-A asshole. It takes awhile for Ashley to get the full story, but once she finds out he hit on Hanna, she's furious. She considers storming over to the Montgomery home and demanding an apology or explanation before realizing this isn't Ella's fault. It's no one's fault but Zack's.

The next week Ella calls her. "I'm so sorry, Ashley," she says wearily. "I never would have--"  Her voice cracks on the words.

"I know," Ashley replies. "Hanna does too." She sighs. "Take care of yourself, Ella."

 

**5**

Ashley and Ted break up, and a few months later Hanna leaves for school. Ashley feels more alone than she has in years, but she's working hard to not wallow in that, so she reaches out. Ella eagerly agrees to meet her for coffee.

"The house feels so big," Ashley laments. "I never realized how much noise Hanna makes."

"I know," Ella replies. "It feels like a part of my heart has been flung across the country."

Ashley smiles sadly. "That's because it has."

They start meeting for coffee nearly every week, and it becomes the highlight of Ashley's Fridays. They carpool, switching off who drives, and one day when it's Ella's turn, about a year into this ritual, Ashley leans over and kisses her as she's being dropped off.  She doesn't know why she does it, but it feels so natural, and Ella doesn't pull away. 

The next time they see each other Ashley wants to ask how Ella felt about the kiss, but she doesn't exactly know how to start that conversation. Ella doesn't bring it up, and she doesn't reschedule the following week.

Ashley knows she made a huge mistake. Soon the only time they see each other is in town. Ashley misses Ella more than she can say, so she doesn't say anything.

 

**6**

A few weeks after the girls have left Rosewood again, Charlotte's murder still unsolved, Ella shows up at The Radley. "Being around our girls again, it made me miss you," she says tearfully. "Do you miss me?"

"Yes," Ashley answers immediately. "I thought you didn't want to ever see me again.  That kiss...it didn't mean anything." She doesn't know if she really believes that, but she wants Ella back in her life so badly.

"Are you sure?" Ella asks. "Because I think about it all the time."

Ashley has so many questions, about what that means and how Ella feels and if this is a good idea. But then Ella is kissing her, really kissing her, and she can't think of anything else.

 

**And one time...**

They've been doing this thing, whatever it is, in secret for years now. It started as just sex and friendship, but then it became more than that. It became real. And Ashley and Ella have been content to keep it under wraps, because there's been no reason to complicate things. Their daughters live far away, and if there's a time that feels right to tell them, they'll cross that bridge when they come to it.

But then Ashley finds out she's going to be a grandmother, and that changes everything.

"I feel like you're my wife. I feel like you'll be this baby's other grandma. What if we made this official?" she asks Ella one day.

Ella looks at her very carefully. "What are you asking me?" she says softly.

"I'm asking if you'll marry me," Ashley says simply.

Ella doesn't answer the question; she merely launches herself into Ashley's arms and kisses her senseless. Ashley tugs her close and grins. After a few moments Ella pulls back. "I thought you'd never ask," she says wondrously.

Ashley laughs and kisses her soundly. "It's been a long time coming," she admits. "But when it's right, it's right."

Ella smiles, and Ashley realizes why she asked the question now. She knows that this time, she wasn't afraid of the answer.


End file.
